Literary and artistic youth not only have poems and distant places in their hearts, but also send poems and distant places to their parents. Because my father didn't want to take a long-distance car ride, he only brought his mother with him on this self-driving trip. The family of four headed south all the way and started their first trip in 2018.


D1. Kunming

With one kick of the accelerator, we went from Chengdu to Kunming. The journey of 890 kilometers has experienced winter and spring. The two ends of the Mud Mountain Tunnel are ice and fire. The Ya'an area is covered with ice and snow. The Xichang and Panzhihua areas are another scene, with spring flowers blooming and sunshine warming people. Kunming is also like spring all the year round.


D2. Fuxian Lake, Jianshui

Woke up early in the morning, oh my god, it's snowing in Kunming! The cold winter of 2018 was so severe that even Kunming, which is like spring all the year round, was covered with snowflakes.

It is tens of kilometers from Kunming to Fuxian Lake. I came to Fuxian Lake with full expectations, but I was extremely disappointed. Driving around the lake, the lake is very big and the water is very clean. But the construction of the scenic spot is not very good, probably because it is the off-season, there are almost no people in the scenic spot, a few tourists are sporadic, and 90% of the businesses are closed. Many places along the lake are still under construction, which looks very messy. I randomly found a place where I could go down to the lake and get off the car to play. The wind and waves were very strong, and the sound of the waves hitting the shore was majestic, which frightened the 2-year-old daughter to cry. The daughter who was clamoring to play with sand all the way lost interest here. She said: "This 'sea' is not easy to play, but Qingdao is easy to play..." The scenery is indeed very ordinary, coupled with the cold weather, we decided to bid farewell to Fairy Lake and go to Jianshui.

The distance from Fuxian Lake to Jianshui is more than 100 kilometers, but there is a long section of roads in the villages and towns, and it took a long time to get on the expressway. It was close to 3 pm when we arrived at Jianshui Ancient City.

After staying at the inn, I put away my luggage, and I couldn't wait to go out to look for the footprints of Confucius. Jianshui Confucian Temple is the second largest Confucian Temple in existence, and it was the school where Confucius taught at that time. Today, the statue of Confucius, the teacher of all ages, is enshrined in the Confucian Temple for future generations to worship. At the entrance of the scenic spot, a tour guide was invited to explain. Listening to the history of the Confucian Temple, the stories of Confucius and his disciples, the emperors of all dynasties admired Confucius. How many past events have been blown away by time, but a great imprint must be left behind.

The Zhu Family Garden is another major attraction in the ancient city of Jianshui. It is the house of a local rich family in Jianshui. It is exquisite and unique. This is the "Border Grand View Garden"!

For dinner, I ate the famous steam pot chicken in Yunnan. The taste is light, and it is not suitable for Sichuan girls with heavy taste...


D3. Jianshui, Xishuangbanna

I was going to stay in Jianshui for two nights, but last night the hotel had a power outage and it was extremely cold. I got up early in the morning and decided to leave Jianshui that day and go to the warm Xishuangbanna.

The innkeeper is very nice. After we explained the situation, she decisively refunded our one-day room fee and sent us away politely.

After a short stroll in the ancient city of Jianshui, we drove to Xishuangbanna. It takes about 6 or 7 hours to drive from Jianshui to Xishuangbanna, and it gets warmer as you go. When we arrived at Pu'er and the Mojiang section, the mountain road was winding and winding, and my daughter got motion sickness... When I arrived at Xishuangbanna, the scenery on both sides of the road was completely different, with coconut trees standing on both sides of the expressway. Going forward, the tropical rain forest appeared in people's field of vision again, and the mysterious Wild Elephant Valley flashed in my mind, and I yearned for it.

When we arrived in Xishuangbanna, we went straight to the pre-booked hotel. In Gaozhuang Xishuangjing Scenic Area, you can overlook the Mekong River from the room.

The night of suing Zhuang is unforgettable. When it was still dark, I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is quite exquisite in Southeast Asia. The first time I saw such a building, my mother also took out her mobile phone and took pictures. After dinner, when the lights are on, the Mekong Starlight Night Market presents a busy scene. All kinds of small commodities are exquisite, and the local delicacies are mouth-watering. I still like the little pineapple the most, it's sweet, just like my mood that day. The night is getting deeper and deeper, and people's enthusiasm is getting stronger and stronger. On the square in front of the Shwedagon Pagoda, an entertainer wearing a cowboy hat was singing. Take a closer look, hey, isn't this the artist I saw in Shuanglang two summers ago, fate!

Stroll back to the hotel in the dark and fall asleep under the stars. Hello, Xishuangbanna. Good night, Xishuangbanna.


D4. Xishuangbanna Chinese Academy of Sciences Tropical Botanical Garden

What a big botanical garden, all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, rare plants can be seen here. We did not choose to take a sightseeing bus tour. Walking in the botanical garden to feel the gift of nature, how can such a natural oxygen bar be missed. My favorite is the coconut grove, my daughter has been playing in the grove so much that she doesn't want to leave.


D5. Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley

The jungle always gives people a sense of mystery. Walking through the jungle is novel and exciting. There are fallen trees, there is elephant droppings, there are elephant footprints, I know elephants passed here not long ago. Although I couldn't witness the passage of wild elephants, I can imagine the scene of elephants passing by from these traces.

Saw big and small Asian elephants at the "Elephant School" in the Wild Elephant Valley. The elephants here have been domesticated, and the performances such as raising the flag, playing football, painting, spinning hula hoops, and beauty pageants are amazing. On the other hand, I feel sorry for these domesticated elephants...

Watch elephants during the day and cruise the Mekong River at night. Taking the Dai Wang cruise ship in Jinghong Port, blowing the wind on the Mekong River, eating watermelon and watching the performance, it was so pleasant.

Night, calm after the noise...


D6. Xishuangbanna Manting Park, Dai Minority Park

Manting Park is located in the urban area of ​​Jinghong, the capital of Xishuangbanna. It is the palace of the Dai king. With its splendor, it is also inferior to the Tang Palace in Luoyang in my eyes. I still remember that when I went to Luoyang in November last year, I went to see the Tang Palace Mingtang. Although it was rebuilt, I was amazed by the grandeur.

The Dai Garden is composed of several original Dai villages. Although the two temples are not big, they are full of incense and there are many devout worshipers. The most interesting non-splashing square is none other than the square. The Songkran ceremony started at 3:30 in the afternoon, and I didn't understand a word of the sacred water offering ceremony. The following Songkran Festival was very joyous, but due to the colder weather, no tourists participated in it, and it was a praise for those Dai women who were not afraid of the cold.

There is a muddy path leading to the Mekong River from the Dai Nationality Garden. There are two cargo ships with the words "Xishuangbanna, China" parked by the river. The shore is a sandy beach. The daughter is playing on the beach, this is her happiest moment.

Drive along the banks of the Mekong River and arrive at a ferry. It is said that there is a village on the other side of the river. Watching the daily life of the locals crossing the river at the ferry is also a portrayal of another kind of life.

I was deeply moved by the exotic style of Xishuangbanna, and street photography is a sight to behold.


D7. Zhaotong

The dawn in Xishuangbanna was relatively late, and it was still like night when we set off at 7 o'clock in the morning. The 12-hour drive from Xishuangbanna, which is as warm as spring, to Zhaotong, which is icy and snowy. When we arrived in the Zhaotong area, the mountains were covered with frost, the low temperature was minus 4 degrees, there was heavy fog, and there was light rain, which made the glass of our car freeze quickly. The vision was blurred and the road was slippery. This section of the road was very dangerous, and my husband drove it safely and steadily. It was really not easy.

I didn't expect Yunnan to have such a cold place.


D8. Zhaotong

Wanghai Tower is the most beautiful place in Zhaotong City. The lake, beach, small bridges, pavilions, and flying seagulls form a beautiful painting. There are old people exercising along the shore of Wanghailou in the early morning. There was ice on the lake and on the beach. My daughter was playing on the beach and said: "This sand is a bit hard, I can't shovel it..." It was so cold that even the sand was frozen, I thought it was in the northeast...

The direction from Zhaotong to Chengdu is getting warmer. We stopped for a while at Dousha Pass in Zhaotong. The ancient town of Doushaguan was built on the cliff, with majestic terrain, and it is currently being built. The Doushaguan ancient town I saw today is relatively primitive, but there are also many traces of construction. At the end of the ancient town is the Xiongguan ancient road - Wuchi Road. History always leaves traces of heroes in dangerous places. The ancient roads are quiet today, but the old days are mostly the footprints of battles, or the sound of horseshoes...

In caprice, I left Dousha Pass and walked all the way home.


To the south of the colorful clouds, the direction of my heart, the past flies away, and the memories are long. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been to Yunnan, and I love it every time. The Butterfly Spring with echoing songs, the confession by the Erhai Lake in Cangshan Mountain, the reunion of old friends in Dali Ancient Town, the beautiful Lijiang that I visited four times, the Blue Moon Valley with fairy spirit, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain that I climbed alone, and the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge in Shangri-La. The famous stone forest, the Dianchi Lake that is hard to be managed, such as the beautiful Puzhehei in Guilin, the rippling Lugu Lake with "watery poplar flowers", the crater and stone gambling culture in Tengchong, the magical Zhaotong, the rich history and culture of Jianshui, and the beautiful Fuxian Lake. Beautiful Xishuangbanna...

In my memory, the colorful Yunnan, like the footsteps of spring, is getting closer and closer, entering my heart.